Words Can Change Worlds: a nation of readers

Prestwich St Sparkle Day!

2012-02-27T13:07:00.001+02:00

PRESTWICH SPARKLE DAY will take place on 17th March, 2012.

We will paint and sand 40 doors with supplies donated by SHINE supporters.

The day will be divided into 2 teams so that the paint can dry by the time the second shift arrives.

Volunteers please arrive at the following times and bring your own refreshments with you.

Please also bring newspapers for drop cloths.

TEAM 1 from 8.30 - 12.30

TEAM 2 from 12.30 - 4.00

In addition to sparkling up the classroom doors, a group of Graffiti Artists have volunteered to pain a masterpiece on an outside wall to bring life and joy to the junior play area. Please contact Caz Louw on caz@cazpacho.co.za to indicate if you are able to attend either the morning or the afternoon session on the 17th! See you there!

12 new people for Shine in a Box Outreach Training.... we are spreading the word!

2012-02-24T16:20:00.002+02:00

Our latest Shine in a Box trainees

The Outreach Training Part one continues unabated: we had 12 people yesterday for our 'Shine in a Box' experience. This makes a total of 69 people who have been trained by us in the last year and a half. The day consists of a 'nuts and bolts' breakdown on how the programme runs, with practical tips about setting up a centre, how to approach a school, managing volunteers, how to find funds, what material we suggest to start a centre, and what methods to use. it is a very hands-on approach, based on the Nancy Kline approach to collaboration. The feedback we receive is always positive: a theme which always crops up is the clarity of the Shine message. I think we have managed to de-mystify the process of starting a literacy programme: our ideas have been distilled over the years and the application of ideas is very accessible. We offer our experience, and share our thoughts, and guide the trainees through the process. As the Nike people say 'Just do it!' Baby steps, start small, and see what happens.... acorns and oaks and all that...!

Nomawethu: Love was in the air last week!

2012-02-22T15:26:00.000+02:00

Nomawethu had a lovely surprise last week in the form of a valentine's gift from Lorna and Acwhaitile.We so appreciate the care and attention that

our volunteers show the children and our colleagues....by the look of the photo, it made Noma's day!

Westlake Primary: the latest literacy centre in the Shine stable

2012-02-22T11:19:00.000+02:00

Barbara spinning her magic

Maurita and Bea, our Programme Manager, visited Westlake Primary today. This is the latest centre collaboration between Lifematters and the Shine Centre. Sharleen Haupt is the Centre Manager, helped by a small and dedicated team of volunteers.

The centre has only been open for about three weeks, and has a wonderful atmosphere,very fresh and well layed out. The centre has a few volunteers teaching the most 'at risk' children at the moment.A group of new volunteers were trained last week,and Lifematters is hoping for a full volunteer team before too long. We wish them lots of luck, and we will be supporting and encouraging them the whole way!

A pair of gloves.....

2012-02-21T17:57:00.002+02:00

I attended the 'Wordworks' parent workshop on Saturday at St Agnes school, and sat in on one of the short, illustrative sessions. Merle, who is running the seven week course, is such an inspirational leader: she sparkles, and so do the parents under her excellent and loving guidance.With just a pair of gloves as a prop, she took us on such a journey of simple yet extra-ordinary discovery. She discussed with the parents the importance of language enrichment, and how an everyday object can become a useful vehicle to spark a child's imagination and curiosity.

Quietly taking the gloves out a basket, she first asked the parents what they were. "Gloves' came the definitive answer. 'That's right,' she guided, 'and what do we use them for? Why do we use them? What time of year would we use gloves?'

'What are they made of? That's right, wool. What animal produces wool? A sheep, yes, well done, and what is a baby sheep called?' 'Where does a sheep and its lamb live.... yes, a farm.....'

With skill and warmth, she illustrated a powerful yet effective skill, which is within reach of all of us: the potency of language and communication, illustrated with the added quality that makes all the difference between a child and a parent. Love.

Daniswa and her team

2012-02-21T15:43:00.002+02:00

St Agnes got off to a lovely start this year, with 24 volunteers and over 50 children attending the programme. Daniswa has now joined us full time at St Agnes, running the centre three days a week, and for the rest of the week she will be assisting with parent workshops and office admin. We thank our funders for making her full- time employment possible: she is a very valuable member of our team, and we are delighted to be able to absorb her as a full-time member of the Shine Team.

'An Exciting First Day.....'

'Getting to Know You....'

Nomawethu received a lovely card at the end of last year from Grade 2R...

So thoughtful....

A snapshot of St Agnes, Woodstock

2012-02-18T15:10:00.001+02:00

I popped into St Agnes twice this week, once of Valentine's day for a lovely tea being hosted by the school for all the Shine volunteers, and once this morning to observe the Wordswork parent workshop which was being conducted by several members of staff. This school is a jewel. Mr Louw leads his team with confidence and direction, and the love of learning and enthusiasm from the staff, children and parents is palpable.

The workshop that is being run over seven weeks is in the very capable and loving hands of Merle Rolleston, one of my favourite teachers ever. I wish I had gone to school with her! She brings such wisdom, warmth and enthusiasm into everything she does, and her sense of humour is contagious. She had the 25 odd parents and me rolling with laughter this morning. She told of the story of a little boy she taught last year who, when she asked him what he wanted to be wen he grew up, said he wanted to be a Gaartjie, one of the guys who hangs out of the taxis, looking for fares. When she asked him why he wanted to do that, and commenting that she thought he could be a little more ambitious that this, he replied that he had always wanted a job where he could shout out the window of a cab, yelling "Mowbray, Claremont, Wynnnnbeeerg!' This story has a very particular Cape Town flavour, and tickled us all. The more serious point of this story, when I reflect, is that it is schools like St Agnes, with the help of dedicated staff like Merle, Mr Louw, Lynette and Inshaaf in the library, who will ensure the children of St Agnes will go on to lead successful and fulfilled lives, with more choices in life than they realise. The key to learning is unlocked at the school, and it is a beacon of good practice for all to see.

lynette, school librarian, and Mr Louw, the principal

Merle Rolleston, HOD

Wordworks Parent workshop, Feb 2012

Arnold, the caretaker of the school

Inshaaf Eyssen( Library assistant) & Merle Rolleston, Head of Foundation Phase

Mae, one of our Dutch volunteers

2012-02-06T14:44:00.000+02:00

A lovely volunteer testimonial:

'Volunteering at Shine has been one of the best things I have ever done in my life. Not only all the wonderful volunteers and Trudy, who made my stay unforgettable, but especially all the lovely kids I've met. I thought that I would spend my time teaching the children, but in fact the children have taught me a very important thing, and it is that there is so much more to life than we think.

Being grateful for every day you have, no matter where you are on earth. The smile that appears on their face's when they have read a difficult sentence, or won a word game. This is priceless. I can assure you that everyone who comes to Shine to volunteer will be shining from the very beginning, with pride and happiness. I have worked with several children, but the one that I will remember forever is Buntu, a lovely shy child. Even in the few weeks I have been here in Cape Town I saw him grow and get more secure about himself and his abilities. And isn't that the most important thing? I feel very blessed that I had a part in that.

With love,

Mae

Let's Make Prestwich Sparkle Day!

2012-02-05T10:45:00.005+02:00

Linda Helfet, one of our longest standing Prestwich St volunteers, is organising a 'LET'S MAKE PRESTWICH SPARKLE DAY.' She has noticed that the doors to the classrooms at Prestwich are pretty grotty, and she is to wanting to organise a small team to come to the school one weekend to help spruce up the school. She thinks she may have the paint and tools donated, and the principal of the school is on board.

Linda is looking for volunteers/ donations to help her in her quest. Please could you contact her at lhelfet@me.com if you would like to know more about the day.

Thank you Linda for your care and concern, and keep us posted on the dates and times you decide, so we can follow your progress!

Jez and The Siberian Black Ice Challenge

2012-02-04T15:50:00.003+02:00

Ripping yarns of high adventure: the title of this blog sounds like the title of a 'Boy's Own' book, but it happens to be a tale of a man with a passion and a story to tell, a man who faces a huge physical challenge. Jez is a friend of the Shine Centre in London, a parent at a South West London school who has taken on probably the biggest physical challenge of his life, and he has chosen to do it on the behalf of the Shine Centre. We are touched and honoured by his gesture, and we will be following his progress with great anticipation and pride. We plan to link his blog with ours, and follow the story on Facebook so that we can track both his thoughts and his journey. Below are few pictures of the bike that Jez will be using, and a description of his adventure. As I sit here writing this in 34 degrees and rising, it is difficult to even contemplate the extreme conditions that Jez will be experiencing in less than six weeks time.

The bike is still only half built, but if gives an idea of the finished product. Jez will be adding panniers and possibly using a trailer to help carry all the food, fuel and clothing he will need during the journey.

Extreme tyres for the ice

'The Race starts on the 17^th of March 2012, and we have 14 days to complete the 380 miles. If we have not finished after 14 days we get pulled off the ice, as this is the maximum time allowed. If the weather is favourable I expect to be able to complete the ride in 7 – 10 days.

Mat and I will be cycling on a custom built ice bikes which we have imported from Alaska. The Alaskan's are heavily into snow and ice riding so it seemed the right place to go. We will be carrying all out kit for the 14 days on the bike so we will have bike panniers and possibly a trailer to carry all the equipment such as tents, clothing, fuel for melting ice and cooking and food. The temperatures will range from -10C in the south to -30C in the north. This is without the effects of wind chill, which can make it feel 20 degrees colder. Winds can appear within minutes and have been recorded at 200kmph. If this happens we will be in our tents trying to sleep. Little hope of that I am sure.

Training for the event includes commuting to work in all weathers and longer rides at weekends. I am not overly concerned about the distance, I have cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats which was over 900 miles in 9 days. My main concern is the cold. I have been able to get some time training and testing our clothing in an industrial freezer at -25 degrees C. I will be taking a bike and turbo trainer into the freezer and I will be riding to make sure we are happy with the number of layers we are wearing. There is a big risk of frost nip if the sweat freezes against our bodies, so we have to make sure we keep covered when we stop or get too hot. We will be wearing balaclavas and a mask to protect our faces along with ski goggles to keep the glare out.

We will be camping on the ice each night and will have equipment and clothing which is designed to keep us warm in conditions as low as -50 degrees C. We will have to melt ice each morning so we have enough to drink each day to keep us hydrated. Jez'

Jez and his three beautiful young daughters

A Shine Wedding!

2012-02-02T11:50:00.001+02:00

Lucy Corne, one of our Claremont volunteers, recently married the love-of-her life Shawn in a very romantic weekend ceremony at Buffelsfontein game farm near Darling on New Year's Eve 2011. Lucy and Shawn decided, instead of gifts, to ask their guests to donate towards a cause close to Lucy's heart.... The Shine Centre. The guests, most of whom traveled from the UK, USA and Canada, donated very close to the sum of R11, 000. This is a true testimony of their love for Lucy and Shawn, and the generosity of the young couple has touched our hearts deeply. Thank you to Lucy, Shawn and their wonderful friends and family for helping us so open heartedly.

Team Building Jan 2012

2012-02-01T11:01:00.000+02:00

We started our year with a wonderful gift from Katherine Glenday.

Katherine, the owner of The Forge in Kalkbay, planned a wonderful staff development day for us.We enjoyed a morning process led by Mirjam Macloud, an art therapist, and we ended with the most delicious lunch from the Olympia Deli and personally delivered by Kenneth who owns the Deli.We all left feeling bonded through the creative process, spoilt by the lunch and if you ever have the honour of spending time at The Forge, which is filled with Katherine's beautiful ceramics, then you will know that is a thoroughly uplifting experience.

Testimony from one of our lovely overseas volunteers, Rachel from North Carolina

2012-01-30T22:18:00.000+02:00

'We received a lovely message from Rachel, one of our lovely US interns, who helped Karen at Zonnebloem for the last term of the year. We love the energy that our young helpers create, and the children enjoy the novelty of someone not much older than them to work with!

Rachel wrote:

'It's been over a month since I returned from Cape Town, but I still think fondly about my time at Shine & would like to give you some thoughts..... I worked at the Zonnebloem location three days a week with Karen Crossley and all the other wonderful volunteers who give their time on those mornings.

In a word, the experience was fantastic. From my first day of training with Bea, to my last days at Zonnebloem dishing out cupcakes, I was constantly impressed by Shine as an organization. Karen is a truly impressive woman, as are those who work with her. I can't say enough about their devotion, generosity, and compassion for the children at Zonnebloem. But I can certainly understand it. The children are total gems, and I genuinely miss them now that I'm back in America.

Working together with my learning partners was not always easy, though. I spent my first few lessons struggling for a balance between disciplining & having patience, but eventually I realized that it was okay to be silly. Part of the process and part of the centre's success is dependent on having fun and meeting goals at the student's pace. It was incredibly rewarding to see little changes in my learning partners: big hugs when they came through the door, new words in have-a-go writing, & best of all, an obvious sense of pride from their accomplishments.

I hope I'll be lucky enough to work with the Shine Centre again some day. Regardless, I will always remember the energy & focus all of Shine's volunteers invest in their efforts there, and I will let it inspire me in whatever I do next.

Thanks for a great three months and all the best, Rachel Hamlin

UNC Chapel Hill 2012'

Rachel, 4th from the left

Glasses were delivered to Zonnebloem this week

2012-01-29T07:37:00.001+02:00

Andrew from Mullers

Karen with some of the children who received their glasses

A huge thank you to the Mullers' team for the generosity of eye testing and glasses for our children. This assistance makes such a difference to our children and their learning ability. The children can now see clearly, which eliminates at least one of the problems they have been experiencing. 'Team Muller' are our heroes of the month!

Welcome back, January 2012

2012-01-27T13:24:00.001+02:00

We have all been busy behind the scenes. The beginning of the year is always a time of reflection and planning for us, and we are looking at 2012 with great excitement. The centre managers have undergone training sessions in various areas, and are raring to get started with the children. The preparation in the centres is vast, from planning the time tables, to establishing a list of volunteers to training new volunteers, and returning ones. We all all dusted down and ready to go. See you in the centres from the week beginning the 30th of january!

Grade two, Claremont end of year party

2011-12-08T16:00:00.003+02:00

Ruth baked up a storm for

volunteers, learners and teachers alike and has done wonderful work with
Brooklyn.
The smiles say it all.

Latest parent workshop, Prestwich St, December 2011.

2011-12-08T15:56:00.000+02:00

We have been supported by the International Woman's Club this year with our Picture dictionaries. This is a photograph from the Prestwich St parent workshop earlier this month.

A heartwarming message from one of our volunteers

2011-12-08T15:28:00.000+02:00

Dear Carrie,
Soon I’ll be leaving South Africa for good and, before I go, I would like to leave a few lines about my experience at Shine (and also share some pictures I have, as Bea recently urged us to do).
When I first came to Shine, I was desperately looking for an activity that could keep me busy as much as possible. My anxious mind was pushing me to be highly efficient, to achieve great results in a short time, to be ideally perfect (coming from a business background, it is too easy to fall into those fallacies).

I’ve been so lucky to meet Diane on my way. She has made me feel comfortable from the very first day. She knew how to calm me down and she told me all I needed to figure out: there can be no mistake if you sit down with a child with an open heart. So, I’ve gone for it, trying to set me free from my own judgmental character.

When I saw myself in the position of a learning partner at Shine, I had to exercise much more than teaching skills. The world was no longer running according to my clock. At Shine, it’s no use to get things done. It is not the destination what matters the most, it is the path we track together with each and every child.

At Shine I’ve definitely improved great virtues like patience, mindfulness, humility, empathy toward my learning-fellows (aren’t we always learning in this life?) and cooperative spirit. I’ve had good laughs too, of course. This experience has deeply changed my perspectives about life, future and motherhood.

I’d like to thank wholeheartedly to all Shine staff, specially Diane, my lovely colleagues at Claremont Primary School and my little fellows, from whom I’ve learnt more than I’ve taught. I hope you all have a shining 2012!

Sincerely yours,
Charlene, November 2011.'

Shine Loves Mullers!

2011-12-08T15:24:00.001+02:00

I received some lovely photos from Bea, our programme manager, and the following message:

'This year Andrew took over a lot of the planning and was very visible in the schools. Everyone at Mullers has been approachable, friendly, supportive and concerned about the well-being and, of course, the on-going health of our children’s eyes. The centre managers and I have so enjoyed working with the Mullers team and we are looking forward to strengthening relationships with them next year.

On a particularly flustered day when arrangements went haywire, this is part of an sms I received from Andrew – I thanked him for making so many sacrifices for our children, and his response was as follows: "Helping the Shine children has been no sacrifice, it is what we all need to do as citizens of planet earth. The changes you and your organisation make humbles me. It is what we all need to do." '

We are only as strong as the people who support us. We feel like we have an ARMY of people behind us! Thank you to all involved at Mullers.

The postman came to visit during their eye testing, and the children learnt about 'old fashioned' stamps!

Brevan and Andrew, with some of the children's thank-yous.

A testimonial from one of our French overseas interns, Guillaume.

2011-12-08T15:22:00.000+02:00

We are so lucky to have incredible young people who come to South Africa to help us in the centres. We recently received this lovely letter from Guillaume.

'I really enjoyed the (Shine) experience. I learned a lot during the (last) month and half. I learned about myself, human relationships, the English language...... education, the South African culture...... so for me it was an amazing experience! All the people I met were very friendly and gave me a lot.

I remember my first day in the Shine Centre when a little girl wrote on her drawing book that she loved me; it was very cute! I remember too when one of my children spoke to me about the problems in his family....... I was very moved to hear his confessions, and happy to give him my help.

(Shine) is a very good project for overseas volunteers, and for me it was a pleasure to give my time. Thanks a lot,

Best regards,

Guillaume Loiseau.'

St Agnes Shine Centre End of Year Party

2011-12-06T08:00:00.001+02:00

The St Agnes Shine Centre held a 'games morning' on their last Shine day. By reinventing traditional games with the help of tinfoil balls, cotton wool, dice and straws, the children and the volunteers were able to play the games indoors.

The games included dice duels, basket ball, javelin, shot put, tin-plate spinning and
tiddly-wink long jump. The children had a great time learning new skills while they played the games. They talked about comparative distances, time and speed, the concept of higher and lower, faster and longer, and further and furthest. They also spent time learning to use a tape measure.

Daniswa, the St Agnes Shine Centre coordinator, ensured that the whole day went smoothly. The celebration ended with certificates and lollipops!

Thank you to Carolynne and all the St Agnes volunteers who helped make it happen. It was a fun and innovative end to the term.

Dice throw duel

Basket ball

straw javelin

Prize giving

A New Shine Board Baby!

2011-12-04T08:00:00.002+02:00

Val Tapela, one of the Shine board members, just gave birth to the delicious Galabgwe Tshiamo, otherwise know as Gali.

I wanted to run away with him, but all of the grandmas, grandpas, uncles and brothers were around, so I stood no chance! Congratulations to the lovely Tapela family!

Prestwich end of Year Parties

2011-12-03T08:00:00.030+02:00

We received a lovely report back on the end of year parties at Prestwich from Trudy, our centre manager.

'Our graduation parties were a huge success thanks to the volunteers
support and involvement for the two days. Thank you to Rita Swatell
for supplying the beautiful cupcakes. A special thanks goes to Linda
Raubenheimer who supplied the sand art and scratch cards for the parties.
The learners enjoyed themselves throughly, as did the volunteers! This was an awesome
ending to a year of enjoyment, laughter, fun and togetherness of
everyone at Prestwich.'

John Roodt, with fond memories

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000+02:00

Zonnebloem Shine Centre coordinator, Karen, organised a wonderful flowering tribute in memory of the caretaker, John Roodt, who sadly past away earlier this year. Forever remembered.

An update on the library at St Agnes school

2011-12-01T08:00:00.001+02:00

When I popped into St Agnes Convent Primary the other day, I was so happy to see a teacher reading to a class of Grade Three children, and to see the fantastic progress the school has made in ensuring that the library is a welcoming and friendly place to visit. I particularly liked the 'Comfort Corner' with its soft cushions and welcoming rugs.

This is a wonderful example of a fantastic team and community effort. Thank you so much to Equal Education and the Bookery for helping to make the library possible by donating and cataloging nearly 1600 books. We also want to thank Jacqui Ahrends, of St Cyprians school, for inviting Lynette, the new St Agnes librarian, to spend a day sharing ideas last month.

Zonnebloem Shine Centre End of Year Parties

2011-11-30T08:00:00.003+02:00

Stephanie Wilson with Chad

Great excitement all round.A huge thank you to all our Zonnebloem volunteers who made the final week such a fun one for the children.

Cup cakes and cards!

Emma Green and Luyanda making cards

Brianne Loizides with Alikho

Rosalind Malandrinos with Brigitha

Card making at Zonnebloem

Siyamthanda with his card, he had written a beautiful message

Nicola Bravo (overseas intern) with Manqoba

Leigh Ann with Lesedi

Rachel Hamlin with Lubabalo

Kathryn and Thandazani

SA cupcakes from Dominique Mazewski

Glen and Litha

Jowayne and Thandazani

Shine Honouring: November 2011

2011-11-29T20:13:00.001+02:00

Shine was pleased to honour all of our volunteers recently at the Common Ground church in Rondebosch. We were proud to share what we have been working so hard on over the past 18 months, and to celebrate with everyone who has made it possible, including some of our Shine funders.

A big thank you goes out to Andrea from Dish Food for donating the beautiful lunch, to Verity for her beautiful voice, and to Chris Ahrends for helping with the proceedings.

To all who attended, we were very grateful for your presence. We hope that you understand how important you are to the organisation...without you, there would be no Shine.

The Paddle to Read Oxford and Cambridge Dragon Boat Race: November 2011

2011-11-28T20:28:00.003+02:00

Cheerleaders added to the fun! Cambridge going for it.

The guest team, with Nick and Noma setting the pace!

The victorious guest team, mid-stride!

Carrie and Nick

Noma and Nick, post race!

Trevor Lobe, our Shine Chair, and Cherry, Shine communications

Donald Grant, our MEC for education, being interviewed by Good Hope, who covered the event

We were very honoured to be asked to take part in the Paddle to Read Oxford and Cambridge Dragon Boat Race at the V&A Waterfront on 26 November 2011.

Not only were we invited to paddle, (six lucky Shine participants) but we were also the chosen recipient of proceeds being raised through the SMS campaign open from 16 November to 16 December 2011. SMS SHINE to 38270 to donate R10 and change a child's life!

Race day fell on a beautiful summer morning at the Waterfront. Shine had such a fun and laughter-filled time under the rolling tablecloth of Table Mountain. Being able to raise awareness and money whilst having a good time with such enthusiastic people has to be the ultimate.

Thank you to both Cambridge and Oxford for their sense of adventure and generosity of spirit, and to everyone who came to support us on the day. We had a wonderful time.

Kerry, Carrie, Daniswa, Maurita, Noma and Kathryn: after the event

Nic, Daniswa, Alan, Kathryn and Noma: Most of the rowing team, minus Trevor Lobel

Coming down the fairway....

A close call: the main event, Oxford University Press against Cambridge. Cambridge eventually won the overall challenge, but Oxford put up a good fight!

Maurita and Kathryn, with Mr Louw, Merle, HO Foundation phase, plus parents and
children from Shine who came to support the Shine team

Daniswa, Kathryn, parents and St Agnes children at the event

Another sneak peak at our new Shine Games. Watch this space!

2011-11-27T21:11:00.001+02:00

A board game

Wipe sheet

lotto

The tree game

'hum'

'Mum'

'sit'

Eeston's Action Rhymes

2011-11-25T06:39:00.001+02:00

Kelly Harding has helped improve Easton's concentration by introducing singing and acting into their Shine sessions. After reading Dr. Seuss and focussing on the rhyming patterns in the story, Easton selected a few keywords and performed the actions of rhyming pairs that he constructed. Be sure to check out the video she sent us. What a great way to end the week!

Shine featured in Charles Leadbeater's latest book

2011-11-19T18:12:00.001+02:00

WISE Launches Book on Best Practices which features the Shine Centre, Cape Town

WISE recently launched Innovation in Education: Lessons from Pioneers around the World, (its first publication). Innovation expert and author of the book, Charles Leadbeater, visited on-the-ground projects in countries including Uganda, India, USA and Qatar. Focusing on 16 projects, notably winners and finalists of the WISE Awards, this visually appealing book combines field research with creative photography by Romain Staros Staropoli and seeks to define common strands of innovation.

Shine-in-a-Box

2011-11-19T18:12:00.000+02:00

Next year, the Shine Centre is focusing on growth. Getting sponsorship for training and resources for other literacy centres and reading programmes remains paramount on our list of priorities.

We have started the Words Can Change Worlds Reading Campaign in order to change the general perspective around books, story reading and storytelling.

We will be reaching out to religious organisations, sports clubs, after school care centres, youth members and parents in hopes of creating Change Agents. We want reading to be part of community events and not something that simply happens at school.

2012 sneak peak

2011-11-17T18:14:00.000+02:00

Here's a little sneak preview of a few of our illustrations for our 2012 Shine games....

fun

hug

sad

him

hum

mum

sit

bun

Shine Books by St. Cyp's Girls

2011-11-17T17:54:00.001+02:00

The Shine children always enjoy reading the lovely homemade books that other children prepare for us. We want to thank the St. Cyprian's Grade Seven Girls for the latest batch. They will be put in the 'take-home book' section so that the Shine children will get to enjoy the books at home. Thank you for your inventiveness!

A postage stamp story

2011-11-17T07:50:00.000+02:00

While at Mullers for additional eye tests, some of the Shine boys played a game of matching cards. One of the cards was a letter and it matched with a stamp. We realised the boys did not know what a stamp was. But as we were reading to the boys, the Postman arrived and we asked him if he had any stamped letters in his bag. Luckily, he did!

Thabo and Miraji posing with the Postman and his letters

Books for Bianca in Limpopo

2011-11-16T16:42:00.000+02:00

Bianca is starting a literacy programme in Limpopo. She completed the Shine Outreach Training with us last week. Before she left us, we were able to donate some books that will be appropriate for the older children she plans to work with.

BBC coverage of the WISE awards

2011-11-16T16:20:00.000+02:00

BBC coverage of the Wise awards

Outreach Training, November 2011

2011-11-13T21:47:00.001+02:00

Last week, Shine held another Outreach training. It was a delight to coach five more people in the methods of opening their own literacy centres. It is humbling to know that we are reaching people who want to continue the work that we have started.

The 2011 WISE Awards, Doha, Qatar

2011-11-05T21:01:00.001+02:00

A message from Maurita, 1 November 2011:

'What a pleasure it is to be here at the World Innovation Summit for Education, in Doha, Qatar for the second year in a row. I am one of 1200 delegates covering 120 countries, here to share good practises that will make a meaningful impact on the global education crisis.

This year, as an invited guest at the event, Shine has been featured in a beautiful book published by the Summit and the Qatar Foundation with photographs of our Observatory Junior School Shine Centre. We have also been featured on huge presentation slides around the Summit.

On the first morning, we kicked off with an opening plenary session: 'Changing Societies, Changing Education.' This was followed by a debate on 'Rethinking Education Development.'

My favourite session of the day was 'Developing New Approaches to Leadership.' With the Arab Spring still a very strong memory, it is obvious that we need to be connected with people and engage with all channels of communication, otherwise we lose touch with what everyone is thinking and feeling; We need a collective vision to work towards.

A good leader is someone who can recognise the strength of someone else and help them to unleash it. The talk focused on the importance of valuing the new leadership models that are rising in the developing world. Equal Education shows such strong and integral leadership. They have a clear vision and the courage to move forward. It is important that Shine continues to work with them, helping Equal Education move closer to their vision.

Bishops and the Shine Centre

2011-11-02T10:17:00.000+02:00

Bishops High School recently hosted a very successful inter-schools play festival. The entry fee was donated to the Shine centre, thanks to the generosity of the boys and all those who attended. Many thanks to everyone who was involved in the three day initiative.

Kerry White from Shine and Declan Manca, grade 11, handing over the cheque

Well wishes from one of our former early board members, Maureen Archer

2011-10-26T11:55:00.001+02:00

We are huge fans of Maureen Archer, who was one of Maurita's lecturers at college, and one of the first Shine Trust members dating back to 2000. It was lovely to hear from her this week...sometimes it feels the whole world is willing us on!

Dear Shining-Lights-for-Children's-Education

I am so filled with admiration and respect for the amazing spread of your

work for so many deserving children and teachers. It is truly empowering for

the whole system, and life changing for individuals like Siyamthanda and all

his peers who benefit from contact with Shine volunteers.

May you all continue to persist in your dedication and generosity of spirit that

is such an inspiration to teachers and learners everwhere.

Viva Shine!

Much love and enthusiastic support,

Maureen Archer

Maureen Archer (right) with Helen Hoare, one of our Zonnebloem volunteers

Sue Meyers, a volunteer's testimonial

2011-10-26T11:51:00.001+02:00

We love to share our volunteers' stories. Sue's is particularly inspiring. Thank you, Sue, for your sentiments. I know that the children will miss you enormously, and we look forward to following your journey.

Dear Kathryn,

Thursday, 20 October, was my last day at the Zonnebloem Shine Centre. I have been a volunteer since August.

Interacting with the children, helping them improve their reading and writing skills, was an incredible experience that I will never forget! I Hope to return again!

Having not come from a teaching background, the first few weeks were a learning experience, but as I grew more comfortable with the sessions, of course it became lighter and easier. The two group training sessions you and Elizabeth conducted were immensely valuable!

Watching the children's skills improve was heart warming. They are incredible little people, and I have a very special place for them in my heart.

Karen and the other volunteers were welcoming, kind, friendly and supportive. They provided helpful feedback and suggestions. I will miss them and the children so much...I had to fight back tears on the last day.

South Africa is the first stop in a solo trip I am taking around the world, during which I am volunteering in various places along the way. My stops over the next four months include New Zealand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand (I haven't planned further than that).

I am impressed with the Shine Centre and know you will be even more successful in your future endeavors. What you are accomplishing is so simple, yet practical and wonderful. Several of my US friends are involved in establishing and furthering NGOs, and I know how hard they focus on their organizations every day. It truly is a labor of love.

I am writing a blog / journal, which perhaps will be used for future writing about my travels -https://suemtravels.wordpress.com/ - we’ll see.

My experience as a Shine Centre volunteer was amazing and I have nothing but praise and good wishes for your organization!

Sincerely,

Sue Meyers

Sue and Zonnebloem girls

Sue and Brianne, Zonnebloem

Sue and Manqoba

A Shine London Fundraiser

2011-10-26T11:13:00.000+02:00

I recently returned from a trip to London, where we held a 'Friends of Shine London' fundraiser. Karen Taylor organised a magnificent evening of music by the Kings Wimbledon players for 60 appreciative friends.

Many thanks to the musicians, Mark, Leandro and Helena for a sublime evening.The proceeds of the event went to the Shine Centre. We raised approximately 1400 pounds sterling (still counting).

A big thank you to Karen for her tireless work, her husband, Russell, for the support he shows us in so many ways, and to Gayle and Christian for hosting the evening.

I want to also add a special thank you to Victoria Wall for donating the wine for the evening.

In addition, there was a wonderful team of helpers who offered a delicious feast of canapes to add to our enjoyment.

This was a true team effort, and we very much appreciate our friends so far away helping us with the work we do. It was an outstanding evening!

The appreciative audience

our wonderful musicians: Leandro, Mark and Helena

Maurita, Karen and Kathryn, Cape Town, 2010

A praise note

2011-10-25T11:29:00.000+02:00

The culture of praise notes has become ingrained at the Shine Centre. Shane, a Grade Two child from Claremont Primary School, expressed his appreciation earlier this week to his volunteers, Mary and Em. Heartwarming!

Praise indeed!

Snapshots of a Shine Centre.....

2011-10-25T11:21:00.000+02:00

Loyiso's favourite book, 'My Name is Lizo'

The written conversation went like this:
Loyiso: "I like to play football."
Karen: "What do you do when you play football?"
Loyiso: "I MUST play at the stadium!"

Friendship

Lubabulo was looking through the 'T' alphabet bag and pulled out the following objects: a truck, a tiger and a torch. The following sentences were generated from the bag:

"I like trucks."

"Two little tigers had lots of teeth."

"Police looked for a gangster stealing a torch."

What a wonderful tool for language enrichment.

Lubabulo's Have-a-go writing

Thank you to Milnerton Junior School

2011-10-24T11:29:00.000+02:00

Recently, Anita Scott (a Grade Four teacher at Milnerton Junior School) gave her friend, Karen Crossley (the Zonnebloem Shine Centre Coordinator) a selection of wonderful books from her school. Milnerton recently hosted a Readathon and made Shine the recipient of the books that were collected.

We plan to use these books in the Shared Reading corner, and some of the books will go to the Zonnebloem Girls' school library.

...From children to children: I love this circle.

Cwayita and Elona enjoying the new books

The day in the life of a volunteer...a snapshot.

2011-10-24T11:22:00.000+02:00

Over and above volunteering at the Prestwich Street Primary School Shine Centre, Kelly Harding teaches vocabulary enrichment every Monday afternoon to 16 Grade One boys at Zonnenbloem Boy’s Primary School.

Kelly has made use of materials and activities, teaching this group in a fun interactive manner since the end of May 2011.

The children have responded well to this new and exciting experience and the teacher has noticed a marked improvement in their classroom English skills.

Kelly with the Grade One English Programme boys: she was showing them photos of her trip to Botswana

Here they are looking at an elephant, discussing his skin. "Is it rough or smooth? Feel your skin. It is smooth, feel the carpet, it is rough! How do you think the elephant's skin will feel, rough or smooth?" Rough was a new word for them.

Kewtown Literacy Centre

2011-10-24T11:14:00.000+02:00

We recently made a visit to Kewtown school to see the literacy project started through a collaboration with Common Ground. We have been providing support and training for over a year. It was great to catch up with Nicole who is spearheading the project. She proudly showed us the progress that has been made at the school.

Through these partnerships, we can continue to work towards our vision of creating a nation of readers.

Maurita and Nicole

Loyiso Tumyiswa singing Lizo's song

2011-10-21T11:57:00.002+02:00

Sunshine Kids Reading Centre, Clarence Road Primary in Durban

2011-10-12T10:29:00.001+02:00

We wanted to share the latest photos of the Sunshine Kids Centre, sent from Joan in Durban. She reports that people are contacting her weekly to join her team. We are delighted that she is having such success, and we plan to support her the whole way. Once we have our new games ready for printing, which should be by the beginning of December, we look forward to helping her expand her sessions. I heard from Joan earlier this week, and she now has 17 volunteers, and growing! Out of acorns.....

'Time to Think' workshop

2011-10-11T09:31:00.000+02:00

Shine sends a big thank you to Michael Heuermann for running a 'Time to Think' workshop last week at Little Streams in Constantia.

Shine Centre Posters and Bookmarks

2011-10-11T09:24:00.002+02:00

We have been working hard on a couple of initiatives recently, including our peer reading scheme, the Shine Book Buddies Programme. The Programme offers older children the chance to read with younger children in a creative space, and we are hoping to launch it with the help of the WCED in the next few months.

In the meantime, we wanted to thank our friends at Clip Clop publishing, Tandym printers, (http://www.tandym.co.za/) our designers Bryan and Nat from B-Design and Astrid from Schwarzie Designs (http://www.schwarzie-designs.com/Art_by_Astrid/Art_by_Astrid.html) for the work they have done for us. The team work has been inspiring. Thank you!

Below is a selection of our new posters and bookmarks.

Shine Book Buddies stickers

Another bookmark design

Book Buddies praise comments: a variation of our now famous praise note!

Lucy Corne's wedding

2011-10-11T08:49:00.015+02:00

Lucy Corne (Claremont Primary School Shine volunteer) is marrying her fiance, Shawn, at the end of this year. Instead of wedding presents, the couple has asked for donations towards the Shine Centre.

Shine sends a big thank you to the beautiful couple for their selflessness. It is so comforting to know that this world has such special young people living in it!

Lucy and Shawn

The WCED and NGOs

2011-10-06T08:21:00.001+02:00

On 28 September 2011, approximately 400 NGOs were invited by the WCED (Western Cape Education Department) to attend a meeting at Livingstone School to discuss how NGOs and the WCED can work together in 2012.

Superintendent-General and Head of Western Cape Education, Penny Vinjevold, outlined the three strategic goals of the WCED:

• to improve literacy and numeracy in primary schools

• to increase the number of children who pass the NSC (National Senior Certificate) and improve the quality of those passing results

• to reduce the number of underperforming schools

Vinjevold spoke about the WCED's improvements and its key focus areas for 2012. She welcomed suggestions on the WCED’s budget spending, and on better tactics to deploy the education department’s officials. (Her powerpoint presentation is available to those who wish to view it)

Chief Director of Districts WCED, Linda Rose, sent a strong message when she spoke about the importance of protecting teaching time in the classroom. The new curriculum, CAPS, will ensure that every teacher's time is more focused. It will also give clearer guidance on what will be taught when. It was so rewarding for us to hear Rose mention the Shine Centre when she spoke about 'best NGO practice.'

Claremont Shine Centre Maths Programme.

2011-10-04T10:02:00.000+02:00

Thanks to the training and guidance from the Brombacher and Associates team, 24 children and 16 volunteers took part in a pilot maths programme launched at the Claremont Primary School Shine Centre on 16 August 2011.

Di Donaldson from Brombacher and Associates was on hand, offering support to the learning partners as they started on their new Number Sense workbooks. The Shine Centre Founder Director, Maurita Glynn Weissenberg, was present for the launch, along with Shine's programme manager, Bea Volbrecht, and the Claremont Shine coordinator, Di Kerswell.

After the opening, Donaldson answered the volunteers’ questions and offered suggestions on how to assist and encourage the children when using the workbooks.Thank you to the whole team for an informative and enjoyable session.

RASA conference, UCT, September 2011

2011-09-22T10:18:00.000+02:00

Maurita, Bea and I spent the weekend at UCT, at the well-attended conference entitled 'CAPS and Mishaps: Finding your way in the literacy labyrinth.'

We were privy to some fantastic talks, panels and papers, as well as a rousing opening address by the inspiring Deputy Vice chancellor of UCT, Crain Soudien, and a stimulating closing by Graeme Bloch, who delivered his paper entitled 'Yes, we can! Fixing our schools.'

Thank you to RASA for hosting the weekend, and for giving Shine the opportunity to present our project. The focus of our talk was on the importance of volunteers. It was well-received and seemed to stimulate a lot of interest in our project.

We were happy to present early on Saturday so we could then enjoy the rest of the conference without worry!

We had a great lunch on Saturday with Cathy Gush from Rhodes University, who is helping to head up a literacy project in Grahamstown. In between sessions on Sunday, we had a laughter-filled lunch with some of our favourite fellow NGOs.

selecting talks

Enjoying a tea break with part of the Equal Education team

True collaboration, including( in no particular order) Adele and colleagues from the Ikhaya Trust, Themba from Equal Education, Maurita and Bea and Kathryn from the Shine Centre, Merle from St Agnes school, Shelley O Caroll from Wordworks, and Cathy Gush, a partner from Grahamstown

Tea parties at St Agnes

2011-09-22T09:37:00.000+02:00

Carrie received this lovely email from Shirley, one of our Shine Centre volunteers:

Two weeks ago, Mr Louw, the Principal at St Agnes Primary School, invited the Shine volunteers to the staff room to meet the teachers. This was an excellent idea and I am sure both staff and volunteers benefitted from it.

I thought it might be nice to show our appreciation to the staff for the role they play in the children’s education. So I suggested to three other Shine volunteers that we bake for the staff this Tuesday. The four of us are parents of children at the American International School, (Pat Loquan, Annelie de Wet and Sophie Knight) where parents bake or supply snacks once a month for a 'Teacher Appreciation Day', so it's a similar idea.

I thought it might be nice for you to know about this.

Regards

Shirley Donohue

This is an absolutely wonderful initiative for our long-term school partnerships. We are working hard to deepen our relationship with the school Heads staff. It is so nice to hear that the schools have a similar goal. What a great idea, very inspiring. Thank you to our lovely St Agnes volunteers.

Clarence Road, Durban

2011-09-15T12:17:00.000+02:00

The magnificent domed Wedgewood Blue Hall, of the Clarence Junior School in Durban, is the site of Shine's latest literacy partnership. Joan has worked tirelessly on getting a small team together to create a warm and welcoming space for the Grade Two children, whom her volunteers see on a weekly basis.

Every week, Joan receives phone calls from local community members who want to join her team. The school is very central, and on event days, the cheer of the local horse-racing crowd can be heard, heralding the children in the nearby classrooms who are working so hard.

It was wonderful to visit the school and Joan, who is the most gracious host. She set aside the whole of Thursday afternoon for me, and once business was completed, she treated me to a tour of the breathtaking Durban stadium. Durban may not have a mountain cable car, but it does have a vernacular that can be taken to the top of the stadium where the views are majestic.

The visit made me feel on top of the world in every way! It reminded me of how blessed we are in this country. Wonderful people like Joan, her volunteers and the dedicated staff of Clarence Road Primary School are changing lives on a daily basis. We salute you all.

The historical 108-year-old Hall, with beautiful moldings and stained glass; A heritage site.

Unfortunately, the literacy session was over, yet the echo of happiness was still ringing. It was a wonderful and warm environment.

Domed magnificence

The person who has made all if this possible: Joan

local views

view from the top

Okhule's morning chant, Zonnebloem Shine Centre

2011-09-15T11:02:00.000+02:00

Karen sent us this little clip today of the second group of Grade Two boys coming to the Shine Centre.They marched up the hill singing this song, led by Okuhle. As Karen said, "It certainly puts a spring in my step to walk up to the Shine Centre to this jaunty chant."

We thought you might all enjoy it too.

Zonnebloem Boys and their take home books

2011-09-15T10:44:00.000+02:00

Grade Two boys with their take home books: left to right: Liso, Enrique and Inga

Pen-pal project between South Africa and Germany

2011-09-15T10:43:00.000+02:00

One of our former overseas volunteers from 2011, Miriam Hochwald, initiated a pen-pal project between the Zonnebloem Grade Two children (boys and girls) and her German holiday care group children.

Below, you can see the letter from Miriam, plus all the letters sent from the German children, to our Grade Two boys. Ms Dyantyi, the Grade Two teacher, explained the project to her students using the globe to show them Germany, so far away, but the warmth and care sent via the letters was tangible.

Thank you, Miriam, for your initiative! This is such an invaluable and memorable learning tool. I remember my own pen-pal scheme from when I was eight years old, growing up in rural Cambridgeshire, and the excitement that was created every time a letter popped through the door from my lovely pen-pal, Tracey from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA. At the time, I had no idea how life changing the project was. But when I reflect on it now, those letters piqued my interest in the rest of the world. Who knows where these threads of learning will lead our beautiful Shine children.

Kamva's march!

2011-09-15T10:28:00.000+02:00

Kamva read his take home book, "How to Make a Paper Hat." After he read it to his volunteer, Allyson Biggs, they decided to make a hat following the instructions in the book.

Here is Kamva wearing his hat. He also learned a new word "march" which he then did in his new hat, right across the Zonnebloem Shine Centre room!

Ikhaya Trust Stellenbosch

2011-09-15T10:26:00.000+02:00

We were witness to the most incredible work last week when we visited the Literacy Ikhaya Trust in Stellenbosch. We caught up with Adele and her team, and spent a very inspiring morning with them.

The pre-school has a highly dedicated team working with 46 children from the local community. The children start at nearly three years of age, and the results they achieve are remarkable; we watched the tiniest children with such confidence and light shining from their beautiful faces. They are a true credit to the love and care that they are given at the centre. Thank you so much for the heartwarming visit and the warmest of welcomes that we were given.

Adele and Maurita

Professional sharing with the highly dedicated team

Creating a reading environment: the children recognise the slogans and easily
learn to read them

Ice cream tubs filled with goodies beginning with the letters indicated

The glorious storytelling of Nosiphiwe

Vina, Mabel, Adele and Maurita, celebrating the best practise possible

Thank you for the lights!

2011-09-15T09:50:00.000+02:00

We have had a very kind anonymous donor who organised new lighting at our Zonnebloem Shine Centre last week. Thank you so much for shedding light on the work we do. We really appreciate it!

Shine Book Buddies at Rosebank

2011-09-15T09:48:00.000+02:00

Shine visited Rosebank Junior School this week, to see their Shine Book Buddies system in action. Next week, we'll return to share our methods of Paired Reading with the teachers, so they can in turn share them with the Grade Seven children. The Paired Reading will then be implemented in their twice-weekly sessions.

It is heartening and encouraging to witness peer learning: the Grade Seven children handle themselves with such aplomb, and it is obvious that some very meaningful learning takes place in these twice-weekly sessions; It is a scheme to applaud!

Zonnebloem Book week

2011-09-14T13:10:00.001+02:00

Karen organised a National Book week incentive last week, and here are the results. Great stuff, guys!

Enrique with his contribution for the National Book Week poster

Poster for Zonnebloem Boys' school: National Book week

Sibusiso and Asemahle with the Zonnebloem Boys' school poster

National Book Week

2011-09-14T12:56:00.001+02:00

Zonnebloem Boys' School Grade Two boys with their take home books during National Book Week:Enrique, Lubabalo and Thandazani

Rosebank Parent Workshop

2011-08-31T20:02:00.000+02:00

Dear Maurita,

On behalf of the Rosebank Junior staff and parents, I would like to say thank you for the wonderful presentation at the workshop on Saturday. The parents loved every minute of the workshop and have aready inquired about the next one. We would like to plan a workshop for 2012 but will keep you posted thereof.

Once again, thank you.

Yours in education,

Mrs K Naidoo

Outreach and Parent Workshops 25, 27 August 2011

2011-08-31T09:51:00.002+02:00

We ran our third Shine Outreach Workshop of the year on Thursday. Seven people joined us, six of whom were from Equal Education, an NGO campaigning for libraries in schools.

We spent the day talking about what we know, from working with volunteers and parents, to setting up literacy centres. We shared the skills of Paired and Shared Reading, and conducted the workshop using the Nancy Kline 'Time to Think' methodology. We love this kind of professional sharing, and recognise the power of transferring skills to other organisations. The possibilities are endless.

On Saturday morning we had four Equal Education visitors attend our Parent Workshop, two of whom were parents. This kind of collaboration is yet another way in which we can get our ideas and methods out there, to harder to reach communities.

The feedback we received from Equal Education was incredibly positive. Brad, an Equal Education visitor, commented on the generosity of the Shine Centre. He mentioned that while they have attended training sessions with several other NGOs, it is rare to find an organisation that shares its information so openly and willingly. But at Shine we believe in sharing: we have done a lot of research in the area of literacy, and we want to save others the blood, sweat and tears of having to start from scratch. To us, it makes all the sense in the world to be open and giving with what we have learnt. It is all about the greater good and passing it forward.

Parent Workshop at Zonnebloem

2011-08-29T20:57:00.001+02:00

Shine held a very lively and successful Parent Workshop on Saturday morning. We were joined by 57 parents and five teachers, along with four of our friends from Equal Education who came to see how we run our Shine workshops.

We covered the importance of listening, the sounds of the alphabet, Paired Reading and Shared Reading. Before we said goodbye, we shared the book "The Big Hungry Bear" with everyone.

The audience was so responsive, the children were amazingly engaged and we all learnt a lot from each other. My favourite part of the morning was when Grandfather Rod shared his own experiences of storytelling, from when his grandparents used to tell him late-night stories in the rural Eastern Cape many years ago. Rod's voice was rich and hypnotic, and he held us all in the palm of his hand; we were there with him, huddled under the blankets, in the dark, in the cold, with the glow of the lamp. The audience's response was electric. Rod conveyed the meaning of 'story time' better than anyone I know: his message spoke to the heart.

I love these mornings-- they remind me that we are following the Shine mission every day: Through community involvement and partnerships, and using effective innovative and measurable practices, Shine aims to inspire South Africa to achieve our vision of 'a nation of readers.'

Sharing experiences

A great Saturday morning crowd!

The most important people participating!

Rod, one of our grandparents, sharing his stories.

Eye testing in the centres

2011-08-25T12:42:00.000+02:00

During July and August, Mullers tested at all six of the schools that have Shine Centres. They managed to see every Grade One child at each school, including every new child, plus they were involved in the re-testing of all the children who received glasses from Mullers in 2010. In addition, they saw other urgent cases up to Grade Seven in each school. This was an extremely well-orchestrated effort between the Shine Centre managers, the Mullers staff and the schools.

A huge thank you to everyone involved! This is community giving at its very best. We are so proud to have this strong social initiative going with the wonderful Mullers!

A New Outreach Centre at the Waterloo School in Durban, KZN

2011-08-25T12:33:00.002+02:00

Maurita recently traveled to Durban to give a two-day training course to over 70 teachers, parents and volunteers.

Megan Viljoen contacted us earlier this year, enquiring as to whether or not Shine could help her set up a literacy centre at the Waterloo School in Durban, with funding provided by the Southern Sun leisure group.

It was great to see that so many interested parties want to be involved with the Waterloo School, and we look forward to hearing about their progress. We know that with hard work and enthusiasm, a literacy centre can successfully take off.

Joan Conyngham started a centre in Durban called the Sunshine Kids only a month ago. Joan started with six volunteers, and she now has ten people working with her after only her third session. This is yet another wonderful story, and we will be supporting the KZN centres in every way we can.

A South African Celebrity Visits the Zonnebloem Shine Centre

2011-08-17T12:54:00.000+02:00

Siv, a well known South African actor, came and gave a wonderful pep talk to the Zonnebloem Boys School on 15 August.

The boys loved Siv, and of course, many of them recognised him from TV.

Siv spoke about growing up in Gugulethu before moving to Pinelands. His mom is a school principal and she always encouraged Siv to try his best in school. Siv used the opportunity to talk about the importance of listening in school, completing homework and trying hard.

Siv also told the children about his acting career. He asked a few of the boys what they want to do when they finish school. There are quite a few budding doctors, lawyers and football players at Zonnebloem. He explained to the boys that they need to finish Grade Twelve and then they must go to university. He then answered the boy's questions-- one boy wanted to know if Siv lived with his father.

Siv spent some time with a couple of the Zonnebloem classes, and then he came up to the Shine Centre to see what happens during a Shine session.

Visit Siv's website www.iamsiv.com to find out more about him.

Thank you Siv, for a motivating and inspirational visit. "Like" us on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/shinecentre so you can keep up with all things Shine.

A visit from Boston, USA

2011-08-17T11:23:00.000+02:00

We received a very affirming letter from Sara and Bridget, two Boston public school teachers who spent a week in our Prestwich Shine Centre recently.

Dear Carrie, Kathryn and Trudy,

We are back in the US, and we just wanted to send you both a big thank you! We had a wonderful experience in Cape Town and at the Shine Centre.

Carrie, thank you so much for making our visit to Prestwich possible. We learned so much from Trudy and from the kids. It was so great for us to get our "hands dirty" and learn about how Shine works. We have also been raving about the Praesa Book Club out at Langa as well. What a great experience! It was a pleasure to meet you.

Kathryn, thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us. Lunch was delicious. We learned so much from talking to you about how a programme like Shine can be started at any level. We are excited to share our work with the teachers in Boston.

Thanks again. We look forward to keeping in touch!

Sara and Bridget

A Message from the Mother of Shine Child, Jowayne

2011-08-15T09:55:00.003+02:00

Dear Shine,

My son attends Zonnebloem Boys and is in Grade Two. Since going to the Shine Centre his literacy has improved a lot. Even his pronounciation has had a dramatic change. I just want to thank the Shine Centre and the volunteers for putting the time and effort into helping these kids.

We as parents appreciate everything you do for our children. Once again, a big thank you to Karen, Kathy, Kathryn, Eileen, and Helen- yes, we have heard all about you! you have made a big difference in my child's life. Keep up the good work.

Regards,

Bianca

Jowayne ( left) with his friend Thandazani

Parent Workshop at Claremont Primary, June 2011

2011-08-13T13:55:00.000+02:00

We asked Claremont Shine centre coordinator, Di, to report back on the last Parent Workshop she ran. Here's what she had to say:

'We were lucky that it was such a warm and welcoming day. Mrs. Gouws set up the hall, putting tablecloths on all the tables and books out on display.

We had a great response, with close to 80 parents taking part. The Shine Centre banner was up, and pictures were taken of the books donated by Kalahari. One of the teachers went to Wordworks earlier and prepared games and a fold-up book, all of which appeared on the tables. Each Shine Parent Pack had a library application form and a map of local library locations, as well as an Oprah magazine for the parents, plus sound sheets and activities for the children and parents to play together.

The highlight for us was to be able to give out the brand new books donated by Kalahari, to the first 40 arrivals! 16 tickets to Ratanga Junction were also donated, so we randomly drew smiley faces on the Shine Parent Packs and give four tickets per family to the lucky winners! Principal Reddy commented on how pleased he was with the whole day, and Mrs. Gouws received a thank-you note from the governing body. The overall feedback was great. One father asked me to sound out all the sounds to him during tea time, which I thought was wonderful. All of the parents were engaged, asking questions and telling us how much it helped. The entire morning was an overwhelming success!

Our Alphabet Bags

2011-08-11T12:59:00.001+02:00

One of the many gifts John Roodt left the Zonnebloem Shine centre, was a set of installed hooks from which we can hang our alphabet bags.

John phoned his friend, Greg, on 19 July to explain how he wanted the two rows of hooks built. After John passed away, with tears in his eyes, Greg said he must complete the project because John wanted it done.

Greg finished the job today, in honour of John.

Our newly installed alphabet bags

Celebrating the library opening at St Agnes, August 2011

2011-08-11T12:59:00.000+02:00

We were pleased to have the MEC, Mr Donald Grant, join us for the official opening of the St. Agnes library last week. The partnership created between Shine, Equal Education, local donors, the school and staff, and our volunteers and parents was the stuff of dreams! This was truly a 'Lead South Africa' moment, and a project of which we feel very proud to be a part. The collaboration of all factions involved proves that great things can happen with a measure of determination, doggedness and perseverance!

A massive 'shout out' to Cosmas and Themba and all the volunteers at Equal Education who helped make this all possible.

We are lucky enough to have some wonderful parents at St. Agnes who are willing to help volunteer at the library. A training session with Jeff Jones, resident librarian at the Observatory Junior School library, is planned and the date will be revealed via Shine's facebook page.

Our celebratory assembly

One of the completed library sections

Our guest of honour, Mr Donald Grant, MEC for education, Western Cape

Letter to Shine

2011-08-04T10:03:00.002+02:00

Joan came to a Shine Centre Outreach Workshop earlier this year...

Dear Shine,

Sunshine Kids, located at Clarence Primary School in Greyville, Durban, proudly opened its doors for the first time yesterday to eight children and seven volunteers. It went even better than I dreamt it would. The children settled in quickly, and after the session, they proudly showed their Learning Partners their classrooms.

The volunteers seemed to love the whole experience, and even spent some time chatting with the four school teachers of the children with whom they worked.

Then, to crown it all, the headmistress invited us to tea next week. One of the volunteers went home and emailed everybody in her address book and I already have a meeting set up to train two more volunteers!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, for letting me share your brilliant programme and for all the support.

-Joan

It makes our hearts leap to read such a positive report. It just shows that with good training, and lots of effort and enthusiasm, great things can be initiated.

St Agnes Library opening on Thursday the 28th of July

2011-07-25T12:54:00.000+02:00

Cosmas from Equal Education and Mr Louw, the Principal of St Agnes school

We are excited about the collaboration between Shine, Equal Education and St Agnes school. We have the official opening of the library on Thursday at 1pm. More news to follow on this event! We hope to see you there.

With the greatest of sadness.

2011-07-25T12:49:00.003+02:00

It is with great sadness that we inform you about John's death over the weekend. Last Tuesday John had a stroke and was rushed to the hospital where he had another stroke on Friday, and passed away shortly afterwards. John was a great friend of Shine's, incredibly helpful with the management of the Centre, always taking an interest in our work and love the children at the school. John also organised the Centre being repainted and installed new lights for us two short weeks ago. He will be greatly missed.

We have decided to buy lovely plants for the white containers outside the Centre and Karen will be organising a plaque in honour of John to be attached to the containers. If you have any ideas around this idea please contact Karen.

Kind regards,
Carrie

2011-07-21T16:47:00.004+02:00

Dorian and Neo, Grade 2

Dorian, a 14-year-old American boy, visited the Shine Centre at Zonnebloem today. He spent the first session observing and reading to a Shine boy. He then went to the boys school to help the teacher with maths.

Here is a photo of Dorian practising Story (word) Sums with a Grade Two child, Neo.
Dorian is spending the afternoon with the children at the Zonnebloem cottage.

The experience of one of our overseas volunteers, Sabine Rieck.

2011-07-21T06:50:00.001+02:00

Sabiene and Imtyaaz

Sabine Rieck was a volunteer at Zonn and St. Agnes earlier in the year and wrote this nice little article for the blog. The picture is at Zonn with Imtiyaaz Knowlden (Gr 2 boy)
My time in the Shine Centre

Reading is more than a necessary skill to be learned in school. The ability to read builds self-assurance. It can provide a feeling of belonging in a community. Reading creates a relationship between two or more people that is built on joint experiences. Reading stimulates our imagination. Most importantly, reading allows us to explore letters together.

These aspects of reading were shown to me during the two months I spent at the Zonnebloem and St. Agnes Shine Centres. It was wonderful to spend time with the children who, not only loved to come to the Shine Centre, but also really seemed to enjoy the sessions.

It is unbelievable how fast the Shine children make individual progress. While one child might begin to recognise vowels, another might fearlessly write a short sentence, or read a story about Kipper and his friends. No matter what obstacles the children are up against, the experience they gain in learning something new creates self-confidence. Everyone involved in this process shines a little bit.

I really enjoyed my sessions with the children. It was always great fun, and it made me feel like I was doing something meaningful during my time in South Africa.

My special thanks go to Karen, the Zonnebloem Shine Centre coordinator, and Daniswa, the St. Agnes Shine Centre coordinator, who were very welcoming, always motivated and constantly willing to answer my questions.

And of course, thanks to all the children I was able to work with- I enjoyed the time I spent with you!

Buy One- Give-One at Mullers Optometrists

2011-07-19T12:13:00.000+02:00

We are delighted that Mullers Optometrists has chosen the Shine Centre schools to be the recipients of its 121 year celebration. Sally James, Shine's first programme manager, formed a relationship with Mullers two years ago that has continued to grow. Bea Volbrecht, Shine's current programme manager, recently attended a party celebrating Mullers Optometrists' 121st birthday. We received a huge box of frames for our Shine children from David Green, (Of David Green Handmade Eyewear) who produces frames from environmentally sustainable materials. Green also committed to an offer of free eye treatment for any of our Shine children, under the campaign 'Buy One- Give One.'

Read this Mullers press release for more information.

'This year, marks the 121st birthday of J Muller and Sons, South Africa’s oldest optometrists, celebrating over a century of providing incomparable service quality and quality eye-care. Since Joseph Muller opened the doors of his new practice at 104 Longmarket Street in 1890, he could not have imagined that his company would still be serving the city of Cape Town 121 years later. Originally from a small Catholic Village in the Black Forest of Germany, the 22 year old Joseph Muller arrived in South Africa and established the first optometric practice in South Africa.

Today, Mullers is still being run by third and fourth generation descendants of Muller.The public have helped build the establishment of Mullers Optometrists, this support has been reciprocated by Mullers involvement with The Shine Centre: A non-profit organization that provides support in literacy and language enrichment to underprivileged second language children, Grades 2 & 3.

A program was run where free visual screening was offered to 200 - 300 pupils from various schools in and around Cape Town. This outreach resulted in a grade 5 child whose life was transformed after she underwent successful corrective eye surgery. Combined efforts with David Green Eyewear initiated the ‘Buy One – Give One’ campaign whereby each David Green product purchased in store, was matched by David donating a frame to the "Shine Project".' Press release June 2011

Thank you, Mullers and David Green Eyewear, for your generosity and kindness.

Thank you Mullers and David Green Eyewear for their generosity and kindness.

Outreach Training, 15th of June 2011

2011-06-25T08:39:00.010+02:00

Maurita, our Founder Director conducts the Outreach Training

Carrie, Director's Co-ordinator

Shine held an Outreach Workshop for eleven people last week. We base these trainings on the Shine Outreach Model and provide them for anyone interested in learning exactly how the Shine method is put into practice (specifically, Paired and Shared Reading). Our aim is to equip our "trainees" with the knowledge, support and expertise they'll need to set up their own literacy centres in their own school.

The Outreach Workshop is the first phase of our Outreach Training Programme. We are currently working with two centres, one in Retreat, Cape Town and one in Johannesburg, that are busy moving into the second phase of the training. Phase Two focuses on deepening our relationship and sharing other Shine practices, such as information on monitoring and evaluation, Have-a-Go Writing and our Shine games.

We are in the process of beautifying our games. Our hope is to share them in a printable format with schools and organisations that want to use our Shine methods. This development is both new and exciting, and we hope to have it completed before the end of the fourth term, ready for the 2012 school year.

WCED and Bridge Community of Practice, at the LEAP Arena

2011-06-25T08:36:00.000+02:00

The Bridge Community of Practice is a group of like-minded NGOs that work in and around Cape Town. Bridge creates a way for us to network, discuss and collaborate both online and face-to-face. The various NGOs are invited on a monthly basis to forums that discuss a specific specialisation. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to meet with the WCED curriculum managers to talk about the work we are doing in the various schools across the Cape Peninsula.

It was an enlightening and useful gathering. The WCED curriculum team will invite various key members who can work closely with Shine, ensuring parity and continuity for the children.

John Gilmour, head of the LEAP School, led a very interesting discussion, during which he talked about NGOs being 'boutiques of excellence.' John is interested in how Shine can become part of the systemic shift that will change the way we think about education. This kind of open dialogue may be exactly how we move forward. It is an opportunity for all of us to start 'unlearning' the traditional ways of thinking, in order to bring in innovative ideas and methods of working collaboratively towards the collective good.

I am so excited about the possibility of having a bigger voice in the WCED, knowing that we will be more involved at this crucial level.

Elizabeth Nadlir Nir training

2011-06-25T08:34:00.002+02:00

The hall was packed...

Elizabeth and Kathryn

Playing games......!

Three of our lovely links.... from left to right: Trudy from Prestwich, Daniswa from St Agnes and
Nomawethu from Observatory.

Over 70 Shine volunteers gathered on a windswept Cape winter morning for some of Elizabeth's sunny insights. She started with a Q&A, then led the group through a few games, followed by a demo of Have-a-Go Writing. The Q&A brought up some very interesting issues, reflecting our idea for having a "games morning." It is only through playing our Shine games that we can we begin to enjoy them and share the skills with our children. Roll on next term! Thank you to all who braved the weather. We do hope that even the most seasoned and experienced of you came away better informed-- I know I did.

I particularly enjoyed the exercise where we identified ourselves as flowers: the message being that we are varied, numerous and diverse, but all beautiful! Elizabeth teaches with a sense of ease and grace and with great humour, which we can carry through to our weekly sessions with our Shine children. Thank you, Elizabeth.

Alphabet bags donated from Herschel Outreach to Zonnebloem Shine!

2011-06-25T08:32:00.000+02:00

The Herschel grade 6's hand over the bags

Our Zonnebloem Shine-Herschel social, June 23rd 2011

26 alphabet bags, stuffed with objects of the same letter....

't' for tiara...!
Kathryn with Linda Martin from Herschel

After Stephie had read to Songeziwe, Songeziwe insisted on reading a book to Stephie... true bridge building!

We had a visit from the Herschel Outreach girls yesterday, and they came with a big surprise. The school has been working on a collaborative inter-grade project: the Outreach girls made 26 alphabet bags, each beautifully designed and sewn. The Foundation Phase Grade R's and 1's filled the bags with objects beginning with the relevant letter. They are magnificent! We plan to get hooks to hang them on so that they are prominently placed in the centre and can be easily accessed. What a fantastic teaching tool these will be! This has been a dream of Maurita's for a long time, and it is something I hope we can implement in all of our schools in the future. Thank you, team Herschel, for running with this fantastic community project!

Parent Workshop Langa library June 2011

2011-06-23T15:05:00.000+02:00

Maurita, Carrie and Daniswa recently ran a parent workshop at the Langa library for some of our Shine parents. It is always the 'cherry on top' to meet the parents of our Shine children, as it completes the circle, and we get to feel the impact of the work we are doing.

A testimonial from one of our lovely overseas interns, Roxy.

2011-06-08T13:09:00.000+02:00

During my three months in Cape Town I did the most incredible things, from flying in a helicopter over the beautiful city, to hiking Lions Head and Table Mountain. But the most fulfilling part of my trip was spent at the Shine Centre.

When I first heard about Shine, I was very excited at the thought of working with the children, knowing that I would be helping them develop their reading and writing skills. It was only after I started volunteering in the Shine Centres, that I realised how much of an impact the hourly sessions actually have on the kids. Not only do the lessons improve the children’s literacy, the one-to-one times also build self-confidence and enhances their understanding of the English language.

The Shine Centre is such a fitting name for this organization. As a volunteer, I watched the children shine with each and every word they read. The sense of achievement that the children felt when they finished a book was contagious. The Shine Centre coordinators and volunteers were so friendly, making it an absolute joy to go to the schools. Every day I spent at the Shine Centre made me smile.

I have absolutely loved my time at Shine. I will never forget it and I know, without a doubt, that I will return.

We will welcome you back like a long-lost daughter, Roxy! Travel safely.

Roxy and Kamva

Roxy and Karen, our Zonnebloem Link

A message from Miriam, one of our previous overseas volunteers.

2011-06-02T14:16:00.000+02:00

I have been back in Germany for quite some time now, but I often find myself daydreaming about my trip to South Africa.

In my mind, I see myself back at Zonnebloem, where I spent the majority of my time during my stay. I imagine walking across the schoolyard, with Table Mountain in the distance. I could take in views of the sea and the city, while I watched the children play soccer. I loved listening to the little ones speak Xhosa. Once in a while, the lovely ‘click click’ sounds were interspersed with English words like ‘Germany,’ ‘Shine Centre’ and ‘Miriam’.

After graduating from high school in 2010, my biggest wish was to spend time abroad, volunteering in an African country. I went through the German organization Experiment. Their Cape Town partner, SASTS, helped me find a host family in Athlone, where I stayed from August to December, 2010. I spent every morning teaching at the Zonnebloem Shine Centre. In the afternoons, I went next door to the Home From Home foster care and played with the children.

Working at the Shine Centre meant so much to me. I was able to build relationships with the children and witness the progress they made. I tried to put a lot of creativity into my teaching. It was wonderful to see that the children actually appreciated our Shine sessions. Plus, it was so much fun!

The kids weren’t the only ones who were learning. While they practised their English vocabulary, I was also reviewing. Everything about my stay, especially my time with the children, helped to broaden my horizons...Shine really made me shine.

My time at the Shine Centre was a great experience. I really felt like I was part of something huge. I was impressed with the effort and passion that the volunteers put into their work with the children. It is truly a successful programme.

Shine and the children from Home From Home made my stay unique. I miss everything and everyone…it was the most special time.

Thank you Miriam for such a glowing account of the work you did with us. We miss you, and keep shining!

Equal Education and St Agnes

2011-05-22T12:41:00.000+02:00

Recently, I got together with Cosmas, from Equal Education and Principal Mr Louw, from St Agnes, to discuss the possibility of helping St Agnes get a functioning library up and running. We are delighted that Equal Education agreed to help us, and we plan to start our focus on Grade R to Grade 3. Watch this space for a progress report.

Fun Home-Made Books by St Cyprians Girls Land at Zonnebloem

2011-05-22T12:40:00.001+02:00

We had some wonderful home-made books donated to us recently, and the Zonnebloem girls had a great time looking through them last week. With great excitement, the girls each chose one book to take home.

Book donation from St Cyprians

2011-05-22T12:40:00.000+02:00

We received over 20 bags and boxes of books over the course of this week from the St Cyprians Junior school: thank you to the whole school for your generosity of spirit. We plan to use these books for our Shine Book Clubs. We had a 'sort out' afternoon on Saturday, when Milli, Vuyo, Tots and Alice helped me sort the books into age and interest groups. What comes around goes around, and I love the willingness of spirit that these young people bring to our organisation: thanks guys. I hope that the tea and cake were reward enough for a job well done! You are always welcome to lend a hand.

Shine London, May 2011

2011-05-07T17:09:00.001+02:00

Karen Taylor, Our Shine London Director, hosted a breakfast on the 6th of May to launch Shine London. We had around 45 of our friends and colleagues come and join us for croissant and coffee, with a short-but-sweet introduction to the work we do. We raised some sterling: final tally to be posted, but close to 1500 pounds at the first count, with pledges to follow. A wonderful morning that was both fun and meaningful. Thank you to Karen and Tori for organising such a special event, and to the staff of Cantineta, Putney for a fantastic garden venue, rare in the city!

Xhosa/English books

2011-05-05T23:29:00.000+02:00

We are excited to pilot the Xhosa/ English books in the centre this year. A very generous donation from one of our volunteers has enabled us to buy matching readers to be taken home for our children's enjoyment.

Zonnebloem Girls Pyjama Day for World Book Day!

2011-04-26T18:02:00.000+02:00

World Book Day being celebrated by Zonnebloem Girls' grade 2's. They came to school in their pyjamas with their teddys and favourite book, and they made up a rhyme about World Book Day. Such a special day for the children, and there was great excitement for the week preceding! It is so wonderful to see the 'culture of the book' filtering down at school level, and we hope that our other schools will be inspired, and become as involved in the future. This is truly one of my Best Heart Singing Moments!( BHSM!)

A visit by Max Balmain, Maestro of websites

2011-04-26T17:52:00.000+02:00

Maurita was contacted years ago by Max Balmain, whom she was at school with. Max now lives on the West coast of the US. He was so happy to find out about work that Maurita was doing, that he pledged to help her by building a website for The Shine Centre, which is still in use today. Max recently visited Cape Town and the two of them got together: a trip down memory lane, by all accounts....